The collections of the Birmingham Public Library Archives contain more than
400,000 photographs and 30,000,000 documents, including government records,
business records, maps, letters, diaries, scrapbooks and architectural drawings.

Bertha Marx Adler was the daughter of Birmingham merchant Samuel Marx, one of the founders of Temple Emanu-El. In 1892 she married Samuel M. Adler, a Birmingham businessman and investor. This scrapbook is an atlas that Bertha Marx, then a young woman, converted to a scrapbook by pasting items over the pages. The scrapbook primarily contains programs from Birmingham theater productions, but also contains a few programs from Birmingham High School and an order of service from the 1889 dedication of Temple Emanu-El.

Size : 1 flat box

Collection Guide Available : No

Alabama Symphony Association

Records, 1933-

AR400

Certificate of incorporation, by-laws and minutes of the annual meetings of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee.

Size : ¼ linear foot (1 reel microfilm)

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Birmingham Civic Symphony

Scrapbooks and Programs, 1925-1959

AR1058

This collection contains three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings for the period 1925 to1958 and programs from performances from the period 1932 to 1959.

Size : 1¼ linear feet (4 boxes)

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Birmingham Conservatory of Music

Scrapbooks, 1912-1960

AR940

Clippings and other material documenting the history of the conservatory, now a part of the Birmingham-Southern College Department of Fine Arts.

Size : ½ linear foot (1 flat boxes)

Collection Guide Available : No

Birmingham Festival of Arts Association

Records, 1950-1980s

AR825

The Birmingham Festival of Arts was established in 1951 by the Women’s Committee of the Birmingham Symphony. The annual event highlighted the history, culture and arts of a country and featured musical performances, dance, craft demonstrations, booths selling arts and souvenirs and visits from dignitaries. In 1998 the event was renamed the Birmingham International Festival. The collection includes correspondence and publications, educational material, newspaper clippings and other material.

Size : 30 linear feet, 37 flat boxes

Collection Guide Available : Partial

Birmingham Little Theater

Scrapbook, 1923-World War II

AR459

Newspaper clippings documenting the theater’s history and activities from it’s founding until it was disbanded during World War II.

Size : 1 reel microfilm

Collection Guide Available : No

Birmingham Music Club

Records, 1899-1982

AR130

Constitution, minutes of meetings and annual reports for 1920-1960, yearbooks for 1909-1933, concert programs for 1899-1982, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings for 1927-1947 and 1970-1982.

The Birmingham Opera Guild’s primary activity was to sponsor Metropolitan Opera performances in Birmingham. The records include minutes of meetings, programs, newspaper clippings about performances and related social activities, a few financial reports and a small amount of correspondence.

Size : 1 box

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Grambs, Fred L.

Scrapbooks, 1882-1938

AR571

Fred L. Grambs was a music pioneer in early Birmingham, serving as director of his own band and as musical director at O’Brien’s Opera House and various religious institutions. These scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and other material relating to Grambs and music in nineteenth and early twentieth century Birmingham.

Size : 12 boxes

Collection Guide Available : No

Grieb, Herbert

Manuscript Compositions for Organ and/or Voice

AR304

Size : 1 box

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Hannas, Ruth

Papers

AR3

Ruth Hannas served as Professor of Music and Head of the Department of Music Theory at the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina. The papers include correspondence with musicians, composer and teachers; published and unpublished articles written by Hannas; recital and lecture programs; and other documents.

Size : ½ linear foot (1 box)

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Hanson, Roger and Bette Lee

Papers, 1955-1981

AR1619

This collection includes material relating to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, radio and film, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Size : 2¼ linear feet (3 boxes)

Collection Guide Available : No

Little Theater

Photographs and Programs of Productions, 1927-1942

AR876

Size : 2 boxes

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Lowe, J. L.

Photographs Documenting Birmingham's Black Jazz Musicians

AR842

This collection, compiled by Birmingham musician and educator J. L. Lowe, contains photographs of individuals, musical groups and some school groups. The collection also includes one interview and newspaper clippings.

Size : 120 photographs

Collection Guide Available : Yes

Lowe, Sammy

Autobiography

AR1137

This collection contains a rough draft of an autobiography written by Jazz musician Sammy Lowe.